Thoughts following ALCS Game Two

It’s incredibly hard to be optimistic about the Yankees at the moment. They’ve looked so inept offensively that you wonder how in the world they’ll ever score another run. Right now, pretty much the only way I see them playing another game in the Bronx this year is if CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte go out and throw shutouts in Games Four and Five this week. Things are getting to be that bad.

1. Brett Gardner has to start tomorrow’s game somehow. Both Nick Swisher and Curtis Granderson have been terrible, but the latter isn’t even putting the ball in play — 14 strikeouts in 29 plate appearances in the playoffs (48.3%). Swisher has “only” whiffed eight times in 31 plate appearances (25.8%). Gardner takes an awful lot of strike threes but he’s also one of the best pure contact hitters in the game, making contact on 90.9% of his swings since the start of 2010, the ninth best rate in baseball. Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer are the scheduled starters for the next two games and they finished one-two in total strikeouts in all of baseball this year. The Yankees need to get someone in the lineup who can at least get the bat on the damn ball these next two games, even if he only has three at-bats in the last three months. As an added bonus, Gardner would improve the outfield defense behind an extreme fly ball pitcher in Phil Hughes tomorrow. Eduardo Nunez will also be available as a pinch-hitter, so the Yankees wouldn’t lose that speed element off the bench.

(Bruce Bennett/Getty)

2. While on the outfield subject, I’ll be stunned if the Yankees do not re-sign Ichiro Suzuki to replace Swisher next year. He’s hit well for the last few weeks and looks legitimately rejuvenated by playing for a contender, plus he’ll probably come relatively cheap ($5M? $8M?) on a one-year contract. I do think the Yankees need to diversify their offense going forward and a contact-oriented player like Ichiro would be a fine addition to the lineup, I’m just not sure I trust a soon-to-be 39-year-old to be that guy. That said, the career arc of historically great players is impossible to predict and his dead cat bounce could extend into 2013. I’m just terrified of Ichiro and Jeter really falling off the cliff at the same time and atop the lineup. A little youth is in order.

3. There’s a pretty good chance that Hiroki Kuroda started his final game as a Yankee yesterday, which would really suck. He was fantastic all year and he’s carried that over into the postseason despite the career-high workload, plus the guy comes off as a total pro. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think he’s been with the Yankees for years. He just gives off that kind of vibe. I don’t know what Kuroda will do next season, it feels like it could be one of a million different things, but I truly hope he returns to New York for another year. In fact, I’ll go as far as saying that re-signing him should be priority number one this winter, ahead of solving right field and figuring out the catching situation.

4. The Yankees have some major influence in the world of baseball, and I wonder if Joe Girardi‘s post-game rant about instant replay yesterday will push the league into action. He made it clear that he did not blame the two blown calls — Robinson Canoout at first in Game One, Omar Infante not out at second in Game Two — on the two losses this weekend, but he also made it clear that MLB is behind the times by not using the technology. Perhaps these two blown calls and the rant on a national stage — the post-game press conference was broadcast on TBS — will create some momentum towards expanding replay. The league is already testing the technology in Yankee Stadium and CitiField, so hopefully it’s implemented next year.

I really hope that HIROK comes back for another year, but I can definitely see a team (Red Sox) giving him a 2 year deal. I wouldn’t go for more than 1 if I am the Yankees.

vin

I say we give him a game to game contract. That would be best.

Seriously though, if he hasn’t earned at least a two year deal, then who has? He’s been awesome, and he should be able to withstand the inevitable loss in velocity because his stuff and command are so good. I’m a fan of #HIROK.

jjyank

I’d love Kuroda, but I’d still be wary of a 2 year deal. It’s not just his age, but the 2014 budget. If they try to execute that plan, I would be hesitant to commit 2014 money to a guy his age.

I wouldn’t get all worked up about it if they did though.

Mike HC

At this rate of fan disapproval, the effects of the 2014 budget might end up losing them more money than they stand to save.

TomH

You’re right, but I’m always amused by people like us who worry about the budget, as if they were accountants, Responsible People, etc.

Leave that High Seriousness to Hal et al. I say give Kuroda 2.

Mike HC

The only worry I have ever had about the budget, is that they are serious about it. I’m not for the Yanks being more budget conscious at all!

I definitely think the Yanks should be willing to go 2 years for Kuroda.

http://www,riveraveblues.com GT Yankee

It is funny-Like the extra year is gonna cost Hal his 1 month vacation in Hawaii. Dude’s proven himself and deserves it a lot more than some of these other clods. He’s also been durable. Make the 2 year Japanese investment in Ichiro and Hirok. Any worry of losing $ will be easily offset by Japanese media/attention/$$$$

Only thing that worries me is Hirok’s look on the steps in the post below….If I could read his mind-“No runs????…….I’m so outta here”.

King of Fruitless Hypotheticals

How bad would that be? I was thinking about that today…he could go home and play for anybody and get the same amount of run support he just got. I wonder how many pitchers consider the lineup, defense when making those decisions?

jjyank

Or they might abandon it. Time shall tell.

http://www.twitter.com/_swarlesbarkley Drew

Completely agree.

stuart a

the guy is 37.. pitched his most innings ever… older players get hurt and regress, look at the yanks..

bad contracts are boat anchors…

jjyank

If it fits in the budget, a 2 year deal is not a “boat anchor”.

Robinson Tilapia (Overreacting is American)

I actually get stuart’s point, but I agree that two years isn’t a killer.

I find myself finding stuart downright rational lately. In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king…

Back to HIROK, though….I still think it’s Yanks, back to LA, or back to Japan.

stuart a

2 years at a reasonable # is not the end of the world. Reasonable # is $20 mill top for 2 years, MAX….$14 mill is much more palatable..

stuart a

Kuroda made $10 mill this year…..

I give him $7 next. yes he was very good. he is older and many more pitches on that arm….

Jim Is Bored(Hughes the man?!)

I think he’d take 2 years at 20 million.

I don’t think he’d take 2 years at 14 million.

I actually completely agree with you here, and that means I should probably go do something else.

Robinson Tilapia (Overreacting is American)

stuart’s veered towards the center quite a bit as of late. Must be close to election day.

Throw him a parade? Of course.

Jim Is Bored(Hughes the man?!)

Go back to Shea.

jjyank

I think it would be “Citi” now :)

Jim Is Bored(Hughes the man?!)

Nah. I want to send him back in time, too.

jjyank

Fuck it, let’s go for the gold if we’re talking time travel. The Jurassic Era.

sodapopinski

You can’t predict baseball.

This week may still be intriguing.

Angel Torres

Intriguing inschmriguing!!! I can predict baseball there Mr Sodapop: they can’t hit losing pitchers (Sanchez 9-13) they’re definitely not gonna hit the best pitcher in baseball in Verlander. Tigers 4 games to 0, 4-1 at best!!!

Eddard

1. Agree 100%. Gardner is a fast contact hitter who can get on base and wreck havoc. At least put some pressure on the pitcher. You see Ichiro put the ball in play and sometimes he beats it out, sometimes he doesn’t but at least he’s making contact. When we’ve needed a contact hitter up there all we’ve gotten is a swing and a miss.

2. Ichiro would be a great guy to re-sign. He’s a much better defender than Swisher with a much better arm. You won’t see any barrel rolls and dropped fly balls from Ichiro. And he’ll hit .300 in the postseason instead of striking out 3 times a game.

3. If Ichiro stays, Kuroda stays. They’re friends. Do either of them want to stay though? They might have a better shot at a ring elsewhere. Both would be great guys to bring back on 1 year deals.

4. Doubt it. Bud loves the human element. The ump who called the infield fly in Atlanta did such a great job in that game that he’s umping in the ALCS and I believe will call balls and strikes tomorrow. MLB is scared of the union umps and doesn’t have the same clout to pull a move like the NFL and lock out the refs so that it have the power to replace incompetent ones.

Ed

MLB is not in any way scared of the umpire union. Do you remember the last umpire contract negotiation? The umpires threatened to all resign mid-season. They were disorganized and ended up with about 1/3 resigning. MLB just used AAA umpires. No one noticed. The umps begged to get their jobs back, and MLB used it as a chance to get rid of some of the worse ones. In the end, I don’t think the umps got anything significant in the negotiations and some umps lost their jobs.

JohnnyC

MLB scared of the umps? They fucking destroyed the union in 2000. Richie Phillips, the head of the union, and 22 umpires lost their jobs. The umpires suck today because Selig could care less. He’s more concerned with lengthening the games even more than they are now. Why? Because the networks that pay them billions of dollars for the TV rights don’t want 4 hour games clogging up their schedules.

TomH

My worry is that after having seen how inept the Yankees’ offense is, they might decide they’re better off seeking a next-year playoff spot on someone else’s team.

OldYanksFan

After a 162 game season in a tough division, the Yankees were:
1st in OPS
1st in SLG
1st in HR
2nd in OBP
2nd in RS
3rd in BB

out of all 30 MLB teams.
Would you consider that an inept offense ?

The truth hurts

Wow, could these recommendations be any worse?

1. Gardner? He hasn’t swung that bat all season. The reason Verlander and Scherzer lead the league in Ks is they throw strikes. Gardner ain’t doing nothing with those.

2. Ichiro? You have to be f’in kidding me. This team is old and fragile. Adding another old player to the mix – especially a singles hitter – does nothing for them. Even with hit “hot” Yankee career, he’s still been an 90 OPS+ player for the last two seasons. Putting him in RF is the equivalent of putting an old feeble hitter at 1B and 3B – whoops!

3. Re-signing Kuroda is the top priority? You’ve really lost touch. A good number #3 is important, but as we’re seeing, the Yankees have much bigger problems than that.

4. Yeah, cause the Yankees cause changes to the rule just cause they say so. The luxury tax and the draft bonuses are great examples that worked out really well in their favor.

Chip Off the Ol’Knoblauch

1) Swish and Grandy have been pretty abysmal at the plate anyway, is it that crazy to put Gardner in and hope he actually makes contact or draws a walk? Plus his defense might actually save a run or two.

3) Kuroda has been more than a #3. I think top priority is a little high, but he’s definitely up there after holding this rotation together when CC was out and his performance this October.

4) I don’t think it’s so much the Yankees making the change as much as how magnified the umpires errors have been these past 2 games and that there’s more justification to moving to instant replay.

Mister D

The double negative in sternly worded response section 1. makes me think a name change to The Truth Doesn’t Not Hurt might be worth considering.

Luisergi

Awwwwww Swish was all sentimental about the booing… Pull your head out of your ass and put some wood on the ball, forget about the clowns booing!!

Alex handled that topic much better IMO.

Eddard

Because Alex is used to it, Swisher isn’t. Swisher is used to being loved by the bleacher creatures but his barrel rolls and smiling after strikeouts have pushed fans over the edge. He needs to play better and the boos will stop. Alex knows that.

Mike HC

A key difference is that Swisher knows there is a decent chance he may never play in front of the Yankees crowd as a Yankee again. And at the least, this will be his final season. While ARod has five long years left on his contract. He will need all the fan sympathy he can get, while Swisher is free to tell us to go fuck ourselves, see us in a Red Sox uni next year.

Randy

I know this sounds crazy at the moment, but not only do I think they still have a shot, I believe they will win. I’m going completely on blind faith, but I feel like this team has earned that trust despite their recent struggles. The off day may do them wonders and going on the road may rally them together to focus on every pitch, at bat and situation. I think things got out of hand pressure wise at home and maybe getting away from New York will help. I understand how nuts this reads right now, but it’s baseball and anything can happen.

Mike HC

One win can turn it around, and at the very least we know our pitching will keep us in games. Even a lucky hit in the right situation can get us a win with how great our pitching is. Now with Jeter down, we certainly don’t have an edge in talent, but we can still get lucky!

TomH

Of course a well-played, hit-happy win can turn things around! The Yankees have come from 2-0 before in 7-game series (e.g., the Dodgers in ’56 and the Braves in the 90s). Hell, they came back from 3-0 against the Mil. Braves! It’s just that the odds are bad now, with Jeter gone and with Alex and Granderson and Cano and Swisher infecting each other with hitlessness. But, you never know.

There are two things that are overdue for NY: a hitting resurgence and a starting-pitching calamity. I hope the former and the latter don’t coincide on Tuesday.

Mike HC

You are definitely dead on. A scoring explosion is long overdue, on both sides of the ball.

Jim Is Bored(Hughes the man?!)

14-12 Yankees. Bet on it.

(Don’t bet on it)

Mike HC

I have to say, that would be a welcome sight!

Klemy

The problem is that the scoring explosion might not be until April. :(

jdp

They were down 3-1 against Milwaukee in 1958, not 3-0.

Peter North

Wow, this team is older than I thought!

TomH

Of course, you’re right. It just felt like they came back from 3-0 because the country had written them off and people like Burdette were gloating about how much they would like to have the Yankees in the NL, to pick on.

toad

Yep. Bill Skowron hit a three-run HR in the 8th inning of the 7th game to salt it away. I heard about it while walking home from school.

Kosmo

actually NY was down 3-1 vs. the 1958 Braves. Let´s not forget the 1978 Yanks were down 0-2 vs the Dodgers.

Eddard

It’s all about how they come out in Game 3. Sometimes desperation and people saying you can’t do it is all the motivation you need. Last night the Packers fed on that and destroyed the Texans. Doesn’t work the same in baseball but if they can get a couple runs early then maybe we’ll see some inspired ball. If they get down early I expect to see the same flailing away at balls in the dirt.

And if they can win Game 3 then you’ve got CC, Andy, Kuroda and CC to finish. You never know but someone on offense has to turn it around.

Randy

Agreed. If they can somehow win tomorrow I think they have a great shot the way the pitching has performed and Hughes has pitched well against the Tigers. They have to score early though.

Jim Is Bored(Hughes the man?!)

I’m becoming convinced that “Eddard” is more than one person.

jjyank

Has to be. There have been arguments between Eddard handles before.

I’m guessing it’s like a hive-mind sort of thing.

Cris Pengiucci

“Schizophrenic? I’m Bleeding Quadrophenic.“

Robinson Tilapia (Overreacting is American)

I went back to my mother
I said, “I’m crazy mama, help me”
She said, “I know how it feels son
‘Cause it runs in the family”

Can you see the real me, mother, MOTHER?!

Cris Pengiucci

Hoping to see the “Real Yankees” going forward and not these guys who have been dressing in their uniforms in the playoffs so far.

BTW, John Entwistle was the best bass player in the world and that was one of his best bass lines. And Pete Townshend could write lyrics that spoke to a lot of teens.

Robinson Tilapia (Overreacting is American)

Oh, I love them. The drop-off was STEEP in the mid-70’s, but they gave us enough material.

My web interests (and site I actually run) are more in this vein than anything to do with baseball.

Cris Pengiucci

Need to see that site you run. I have a long Rock ‘n Roll history with a number of brushes with some of the greats. :-)

Robinson Tilapia (Overreacting is American)

I co-run a site dedicated to homebrew surround sound and spend a ton of time on it. When you see me referring to “mixing” or “working on music” or whatever, that’s what I’m doing.

The site is pretty wonky and more about HOW to do it, though. Not the most dynamic site in the world.

Peter North

“And Pete Townshend could write lyrics that spoke to a lot of teens.”

Yeah, maybe too much. Just don’t check his web history.

http://www,riveraveblues.com GT Yankee

“Flyin’ Fingers” John E! Revolutionized bass playing. There’s an excellent documentary on him and it shows how much he had to do with the bass going from vertical to horizontal. Cool stuff! But sad he’s gone. :-(

Cris Pengiucci

It’s his multiple personalities showing through ….

Robinson Tilapia (Overreacting is American)

Sometimes it’s his head. Sometimes it’s his ass. Who am I kidding…it’s always his ass.

Frank

Agree about starting Gardner tomorrow. However, I question how well he’ll be defensively as it seemed to me (based on his throw the other night) he’s unable to throw very well. As for Ichiro, while I agree they need a more diversified offense moving forward, I don’t Ichiro is the answer. This team is old enough. They need an infusion of youth not another 39 year future HOFer in the twilight of his career.

JohnnyC

He didn’t hurt his throwing arm. It was his right elbow. Do people even watch the games?

Mister D

Listen, JohnnyC, I played baseball at a high level so trust me when I say that hurting your non-throwing arm is going affect your throwing arm for ATLEAST the next 6 months. Especially if you looked like your arm hurt when you threw BEFORE you hurt your other arm. How about you keep playing the General Manager of Nerd Stats on the computer in your mom’s basement and I’ll keep responding to your posts on my computer while I sit in the infield dirt on a baseball field that happens to have very good wifi reception.

I played baseball at a high level and my father and grandfather both played in the minors and i’ve had 6 arm surgeries. While unable to lift my right arm above about straight out 90 degrees I could throw left handed with zero problem on a crow hop over 200 feet. If you really played you’d know you point your non throwing elbow and then tuck it in. I never had any discomfort in the hurt arm during it either and was given permission to throw with the opposite hand by my orthopedic surgeon who works in the Steadman Hawkins Clinic well before I was close to starting to throw with my injured arm. Guess who was there when I was? Alex fucking Rodriguez getting his hip done. So I think they would have an idea if it’s safe or not.

And basing one throw on how you think he’ll be able to perform defensively is taking the small sample size deal to extremes don’t you think? Plus Granderson can’t throw for shit, or right now hit or field well so at least Gardner could add range in a giant outfield. I’m all for this. I mean it’d be almost impossible for him to be worse than Swisher or Granderson since they look like little leaguers facing Danny Almonte and Swisher has cost us dearly in the outfield. I honestly think Granderson wore down because he played every inning for about half the year without any time off and simply got tired. He and Jeter were carrying this team through the first 2+ months but Nunez being sent down to the minors/Girardi not trusting Nix at SS yet and not having a backup CFer caused them both to go on long slumps. Jeter lost 100 points on his batting average but people forget because he recovered. Granderson never did and now he looks slow running and the bat is slow aka he has to start it early and looks ridiculous on offspeed pitches. I have full confidence in him next year with a full year of a backup, just not for the next few games.

If Nunez could field I’d almost be for sitting Cano too. At least Nunez will hustle. It’d be hard to be worse than refusing to swing at strikes, constantly tapping out weakly on the infield and then “running” 40% speed down the line while not even faking giving a shit and botching a season altering double play ball that he turns 99.9% of the time. He and Swisher’s attitudes this post season are stomach turning. I’m not even slightly mad at ARod since I think it’s just his hand/hip/whatever else we don’t know about, since he plays hurt 24/7 like Jeter without getting the credit failing him, but Swisher making excuses in the OF, not adjusting at all at the plate and constantly smiling after big time fuck ups along with Robbie’s insistence on getting himself out and not running anything out are inexcusable.

Jim Is Bored(Hughes the man?!)

psssst…turn your sarcasm detector on…

Mister D

You can’t predict the RAB comments section.

jjyank

Well I’ll tell ya Suzyn…

Rudy

The biggest question is why wasn’t Chris Dickerson added to this roster?

Mister D

You know what’s really stupid? The two young guys we could most easily slot right into the every day lineup next year, in a “relax, you’re not auditioning out there, just hit 9th and play the field” sort of way, are both 2Bs.

Mister D

(That was regarding point 2, about the old lineup.)

JohnnyC

There is some belief in the organization that Slade Heathcott, depending on his staying healthy, might be ready in the second half of 2013. At least that kid plays all out 24/7.

Mister D

A just turned 22 year old with less than 1,000 minor league PAs, none above A+, is a half season away?

Jim Is Bored(Hughes the man?!)

It’s the year of Harper/Trout/Machado. Anything can happen!

Mister D

Oh, cool. Can we also have Hensley take a rotation spot assuming we lose atleast one of Pettitte/Hughes/Kuroda? I mean, Feller was throwing almost 300 innings a season at 19 and we only need 200 at most.

(I know, I was playing along. Hope no one reads these last two posts.)

Jim Is Bored(Hughes the man?!)

(Whoops!)

Mister D

(Don’t worry, I don’t think anyone is still reading.)

Robinson Tilapia (Overreacting is American)

This team needs a shot of machismo. Nothing says machismo more than “YeiCOCK Calderon.”

Jim Is Bored(Hughes the man?!)

Someone was still reading!

jjyank

AHHHHHH

Robinson Tilapia (Overreacting is American)

I had a meeting cancelled. Decided to drop in again since it was so much fun this morning.

Mister D

Seriously, what the fuck happened here. I used to be a pretty regular but it has just gone completely to shit. Did most of the people who enjoy “logic” just get fed up?

Jim Is Bored(Hughes the man?!)

I think that had a lot to do with it.

I know a lot of the old crowd switched to twitter pretty exclusively.

Robinson Tilapia (Overreacting is American)

We’re often getting drowned out by the people we’d have sent running crying a few years ago. Yeah, it’s changed.

Make the best of it and make fun of the idiots. There’s enough good people still here.

Mister D

But that’s the problem, its not longer a nice 67/33 split of nuanced baseball discussion and debate / sarcastic responses to dummies. Its like 10/90 and those 10 can only happen if you ignore half the people trying to jump in and tell you why its Girardi’s fault that Munson died. And they probably spelled it dyed or something.

Robinson Tilapia (Overreacting is American)

Thurman Menson’s DEAD?!?! Musta been in da binder.

jjyank

I wasn’t around for the glory days, but RAB’s getting bigger. Comes with the territory, I suppose. I feel like there’s still a great core here though.

Darren

Hensley Muelens?

The Moral Majority is Neither

An outfield of Ichiro, Gardner and Pence (swapped for Granderson) would work for me, with a righty bat as fourth OFer (maybe Nunez in a super utility role).

An outfield of Ichiro, Gardner and Pence sounds terrible to me. Just my opinion.

Mister D

So you let Swisher go to pick up a slightly younger version of Swisher who is somehow twice as spazzy in the field and only hits right handed? This sounds like a bad idea.

Nick

AND, if you can believe it, Pence has been worse than Swisher in the playoffs.

http://www,riveraveblues.com GT Yankee

Granderson for Domonic Brown. Not a sure fire thing, but for a formerly top rated prospect who is 6’5″ and left handed I’d be willing to take the risk. Could result in a lot of HR’s. Phillies need a CF badly, Granderson is a good team guy and the clock on the Phillies old team is ticking.

Brian

I think Kuroda will either go back to the dodgers or resign with the Yankees. As far as right field next year cashman has to be creative somehow and trade for someone that either is having a down year but has talent kind of like with the swish trade or I guess resign ichiro even tho I’m nowhere sold on that idea. Whatever it is its going to be a tough offseason for cashman he got a lot of work to do

Andy Pettitte’s Fibula (formerly Manny’s BanWagon)

If the Yankees stick to their payroll cap for 2014 and 2015, I just can’t see how this team is going to improve and in fact I think they’ll get a whole lot worse.

There’s really not much in the way of reinforcements from the farm ready to contribute over the next 2 years and they’re gonna lose Swisher, Soriano and possibly Pettitte and Kuroda next year. They’ll have a 39 year old SS coming off ankle surgery, a 43 year old closer coming off of reconstructive knee surgery, a major component of their future rotation coming off of a labral repair and Arod, CC, Tex and Granderson will be a year older and most likely not any better.

I hate to take such a pessimistic point of view but I really can’t see how Cashman is going to keep the talent level on this club from getting worse.

TomH

Sir, yours seems to me to be the correct view.

http://fendersonandhampton.com Cuso

where’d the “and 2015” come from?

It’s a one-year reset on the luxury tax, that’s it.

Andy Pettitte’s Fibula (formerly Manny’s BanWagon)

I was under the impression that they had to stay at $189 or under for both 2014 and 2015 but I could be wrong.

Cris Pengiucci

I recall seeing the same thing. I also believe they need 2 years under $189 for 2 seasons to get the full benefit (the $100M savings that gets thrown around). Pretty sure they’re a fairly significant savigs by staying under for one season, but 2 years and there’s a major savings.

jdp

One reason for hope: when they’ve gone through team hitting slumps before they have often all come out of it at the same time. That could happen again [playing on the road might actually make it more likely], in which case they might average 6 or more runs per game for the rest of the series.

http://www.yankeeanalysts.com Steve Sciacco

Grandy wont be going anywhere IMO. Everyone knows hes a product of Yankee stadium, so he has less value to another team. Ichiro will likely be back, but Im not convinced he will have an everyday role. Gardner will get his reps, but he has been somewhat fragile over his career. I think they go out and get an everyday RF, hopefully an Upton or Headley if the Yanks match up.

Francesa

Chase Headley is a 3rd baseman! Georgia Roddy can’t play him the outfield. I’m thinking more in the line of Nate McLouth. That guy can play!

King of Fruitless Hypotheticals

that’s HEADLEY.

DC

Check his splits…not as much of a product as you may think. He has benefited from YS, but he has produced on the road as well.

mick taylor

the choke king swisher attacked yankee fans for booing him and criticizing over the fact tahat he cost us game 1, he contributed to game 2 loss, and has been the worst hitter in post season baseball history including 1 for 34 risp did. if i were hal steinbrenner i would order girardi to bench this clown. . say what you will about a-rod, but no player has ever been ripped by ny fans as much, yet he has never attacked fans like the choke king. last year in the playoffs we lost to detroit because we could not hit. swisher was one of the main culprits. carlos beltran wanted last winter to come to the yanks . he is the greatest hitter in post season history, and hit another home run last night to lead the cardinals. roger clemens said he was the best player he ever played with. we could have had him for the same money we spent on swisher and andruw jones and he would have been on the team next year at 13 million, fitting perfectly into the yankee budget. but no, idiot cashman had to excercise his option on the choke king. with beltran we would most likely win the world series. i cannot wait for this choke king who has the gall to rip fans who paid him 44 million dollars to be out of pinstripes

Mister D

Which fans paid Swisher $44MM to be out of pinstripes?

thenamestsam

Care to offer a quote of him “attacking” the fans?

“That’s the last thing that I ever thought would be in this ballpark, that people would get on you that bad. Especially your home, where your heart is, where you’ve been battling and grinding all year long. It’s just frustrating, man. You never want to be in that spot. It’s not like you’re trying to go out there and do bad on purpose. It’s just tough, man.”

That’s an attack?

Mike HC

And I think he was specifically mentioning fans claiming he was indirectly responsible for Jeter’s injury. Not so much about his poor play. Although I’m sure it all ties in together

Mister D

Right. And its a shitty thing to do from every possible angle, starting with the human fact that a Jeter injury hurts Swisher more than it hurts Drunken Johnny Dipshit in RF and ending with the baseball fact that unless you’re relying on some butterfly effect bullshit, that ground ball still happens because Phelps vs Peralta was taking place within the next minute whether or not Swish makes the play.

jjyank

It’s mick taylor.

/ignore

mick taylor

you can ignore me clown, but not what swisher has dine and what carlos beltran would have done. the fans pay the salaries clown, including the 44 million choke king got

Jim Is Bored(Hughes the man?!)

Wait wait wait now we care about what swisher is eating?

Mister D

So there are fans that paid Swisher $44MM to eat naked? What the hell, dude? Weirdo alert.

DC

You obviously love living life in a vacuum.

jjyank

Haha, thank you for re-enforcing my point.

http://www,riveraveblues.com GT Yankee

In hindsight would I have taken it. NO DOUBT. But have to admit that Beltran’s knees scared me and still do. I didn’t think the guy could sustain a whole year in the OF (ala Hideki) after his problems with the Mets at the end of his contract there.

JohnC

Mike:

I agree on all your points. I think Gardner should definitely start tommorrow for Granderson. Need a guy in there who just tries to make contact and not swing for the fences all the time. Definitely think they should bring back Kuroda. Don’t know if he wants to stay or return to Japan. Hope he stays. Ichiro on a 1 year deal would be ideal. Maybe have Melky Mesa as a 4th outfielder next year instead of Andrew Jones too. Will buy some time for guys like Heathcott and Almonte to continue developing and maybe be ready for 2014.

jim p

An Ichi-Gardner start-every-game outfield seems weak, but given Gardner’s record of having wrist/arm/hand injuries every year since 2009 — not enough to keep him from playing in ’10 & ’11 but cutting down his productivity a lot… would Ichi consider a 4th outfielder role?

That tandem would give a lot of flexibility on a) keeping both fresh, b) late inning defense, c) pinch running, d) contact-making starters (when both start) or as pinch hitters.

We’d still need to replace Swisher, and we really really need to start having the hitting coach conducting “making contact” and “recognizing pitches” drills more than home-run drills.

Remember how people were saying early in the season that this RISP-fail business will hurt us in the Postseason? Well, it has. And even though we won the first leg, it was at the expense of extra-innings burning up our relievers, who, not available for phase two, cost us there.

thenamestsam

I think it’s damn misleading to say that RISP-fail has hurt them in the playoffs. During the regular season their issue was that they created a lot of scoring chances but frequently failed to capitalize. The problem now is that they’re just not hitting. They’re at .205/.277/.306 overall for the playoffs. Even if they were hitting much better with runners in scoring position than they are overall the offense would still be a disaster.

You can argue that the cause of their current issue is the same as the cause of the RISP-fail, but I don’t think RISP-fail has much to do with their struggles.

jim p

Bases loaded 3 times in 4 innings, and not scoring is not a RISP issue? Remember vs. Detroit last year? Not an RISP issue? Heck, remember the 7 games played so far this postseason?

How would failing to drive in base runners not be a factor in losing games?

Sure, you can mask that during the season hitting lots of homers off of lesser pitching, but in the post-season? A winning team wins by getting runs in lots of ways. The 1996-2000 Yanks weren’t awesome hr hitters, but they could deliver a couple of singles and a double in one inning, and they won.

Robinson Tilapia (Overreacting is American)

I think what he’s saying is that they’re really not hitting in ANY situation, not just with runners on base.

I think that, reactionary or not, a large majority of us here wish they’d stop trying for the eight-run HR every time. The ability is there to make other things happen.

Jim Is Bored(Hughes the man?!)

The lack of this team’s ability to work a pitcher through 20-25 pitch innings is what’s bothering me the most right now.

Even in the “dry” years of 03-08, we had a bunch of people who could work a walk when they were in a slump. This team seems to be lacking that guy(Giambi comes to mind).

It hurts because we’re not seeing any teams’ middle relief, which I still believe this lineup can feast on.

SammySosasBleachingCream

But what really sucks is they didn’t even need hits to score runs in game 1, and they still couldn’t do it. No one expects RBI hits every time there are runners on (except that idiot stuart), but RBI grounders and sac flies would have gotten it done.

jim p

Thanks for the clarification.

Still, that’s the point: over half our starters look for the long ball instead of just making humble contact. Been like that all season.

I’d hope after striking out on off-speed stuff in fast ball counts dozens of times these last games, someone would think “maybe I should just try to meet the ball.”

Did some figuring and we’ve got a .260 Strikeout Average in the 7 games. vs. a .277 OBP (.205 BA).

Jim Is Bored(Hughes the man?!)

So glad we’re on the road for the next 3. This team needs to relax, and I think hearing boos from the OTHER team may actually help calm them down.

The home crowd was doing them no favors in games 1 and 2. Not that they were helping their own cause, of course.

billy’s bartender

1. agreed.. Gardner is probably not going to put up great numbers, but at this point, even for just one game, he may be the better option. Granderson is painful to watch at this point.. kind of like Alfonso Soriano in ’03. He’s taking it into the field as well. Did you see the route he took to get to Berry’s double in the 7th?

2. Just say no to Ichiro. I like him and appreciate his September contributions, but they gotta get younger

3. Kuroda has been amazing and all efforts should be made to resign him… but only for a year. I’m interested to see how this years workload will effect him next season. He sure doesn’t look tired.

4. Instant replay is coming with or without the influence of the Yankees.

Jim Is Bored(Hughes the man?!)

4.) THANK GOD.

jjyank

It freaking better, man. It’s a minor miracle that my TV doesn’t have the remote lodged in the middle of the screen.

Andy Pettitte’s Fibula (formerly Manny’s BanWagon)

For all those who are saying no to Ichiro, I’d really like to know who you realistically expect to see in RF next year.

Swisher is a goner, there’s nothing on the farm ready to play regularly, Andruw Jones is shot, Ibanez can play there maybe 45 games.

If Toriiiiiii isn’t expensive or seeking beyond 2 years, which I can’t imagine is a plausible combo, he’d be a far better short term fit than Ichiro.

Jim Is Bored(Hughes the man?!)

I’d be perfectly OK with Torii but I can’t see him fitting into our budget plans.

I think Ichiro is going to be the best of a bunch of meh options.

jjyank

Yeah, it really is a bunch of “meh” options. I’m on board for J-Ups, however.

Mister D

I’d still take BJ too if he’s getting a contract closer to his production than his ceiling. A swing like that is too pretty to never put it together.

jjyank

I wouldn’t mind that either, but I have a hunch that he’ll get a contract that would exceed his performance.

Jim Is Bored(Hughes the man?!)

I think people who are tired of Granderson are not going to be assuaged by the K machine that is BJ Upton.

Jim Is Bored(Hughes the man?!)

Now I’m confused as to the Upton we’re referring to.

I’d be much more ok with Juston, but I think he’ll cost a lot more. So who knows. I’m glad I’m not Brian Cashman.

Luisergi

I wish i was Brian Cashman

jjyank

I prefer Justin, but would be okay with BJ is the contract is right, but it probably won’t be anyways.

Mister D

Right. I’d want Justin regardless of cost, I just doubt it would happen. If BJ, for whatever reason, finds a shallow market I’d love to see us front and center. That type of talent can be fixed. Might not ever happen, but if it does, it’ll be awesome.

Yeah, and the pull everything approach isn’t really working with Bossman Jr.

Robinson Tilapia (Overreacting is American)

I chuckled at seeing the words “BJ” and “shallow” so close to one another.

jjyank

Maybe they should just sign BJ anyway, to amuse the RAB comment section for years to come.

Or maybe not. I think the trolls would enjoy it too much once he slumps.

Robinson Tilapia (Overreacting is American)

If you did trade Grandy for Axisa’s two B+ prospects, packaged at least one of them with anyone not named “Gary Sanchez,” maybe you’ve got something for J-Up. Sign someone from that group above as well and…..ah, who the fuck am I kidding…

jjyank

I’d be okay with a Grandy trade, as long as the Yanks ended up with an outfielder who could replace some of the power before ST.

Little CANOlli

How is Melky on a cheap 1/2 year deal not a no-brainer at this point? Does the FO really hate the guy that much?

Jim Is Bored(Hughes the man?!)

Can you imagine how quickly NYC would turn on him the second he has a slump?

Little CANOlli

Would it really be quicker than anyone else that doesn’t wear number 2?

Cris Pengiucci

“ ….that doesn’t wear number 2?”

Definitely. He has been suspended for PEDs. ARod wasn’t suspended and was an elite player for an extended period of time. Melky could be proof of what PEDs can do and if he can’t perform without them, there’s no doubt fans would turn on him extremely quickly.

Mister D

1. I don’t think Granderson taking bad routes is anything new, its just more scrutinized now.

SammySosasBleachingCream

At least Bernie got to most balls that good defensive CFs got to. Neither he or Grandy has much of an arm, but Bernie would have caught that ball last night.

Robinson Tilapia (Overreacting is American)

Agree with starting Gardner. If Ichiro wants to be a fourth outfielder, he can sign right up, but I doubt that’s the scenario.

I’d be scared shitless of Granderson continuing to strike out way too much while being flanked offensively by Gardner and Ichiro on either side, especially with the streakiness of the better power hitters on this ballclub. It just feels like a recipe for the kind of ugly slumps like the one you’re seeing now. RF has to be a younger player than Ichiro who offers more power offensively.

So two B= prospects for Granderson, Axisa, eh? I’d consider it if I had any idea what I’d do with TWO open OF slots.

Robinson Tilapia (Overreacting is American)

B+, I meant.

Andy Pettitte’s Fibula (formerly Manny’s BanWagon)

What crazy team is going to give up 2 B+ prospects for a guy who’s owed $15 million for 1 year who’s become pretty worthless when he’s not hitting home runs?

Granderson is basically the CF version of Adam Dunn minus the high OBP.

Robinson Tilapia (Overreacting is American)

That was Mike’s answer to my question on the topic during Friday’s chat.

You yourself answered the question, though: a year at a reasonable price for a guy who hit 43 HRs this year. You could get more than you think, but less than what you wish.

Andy Pettitte’s Fibula (formerly Manny’s BanWagon)

If they could get 2 B+ prospects for Granderson, I’ll drive him to the airport.

He’s a lousy defensive centerfielder who put up an embarrassingly low OBP this year, he’s stopped stealing bases and while his power numbers are impressive, they’re no doubt greatly aided by playing in YS3. He was tied for 12th among CFers for WAR this year behind guys like Angel Pagan, John Jay and Michael Bourn.

Little CANOlli

There’s really not a ton of matches in terms of teams out there for Grandy though. Two B+ prospects is probably the ceiling, chances are the Yankees get less than that in return even if they’re not selling low after a horrible second-half. Re-up him for another year, and God forbid if the yanks are out of it by the deadline, you can shop him then(who knows, maybe they get Zach Wheeler in return). Either way, there’s a lot of work to be done on this roster, and a ton of different ways Cashman can go

http://fendersonandhampton.com Cuso

Just so I’m clear:

Now Swisher IS gone and Ichiro is likely to come back.

/180’d (whether you admit it or not)

Sly Robbie

Fear not Verlander and Scherzer. Good pitching, indeed. A very wise man once noted “Good pitching stops good hitting… and vice versa.”

The Yankees have the hitting. The last seven games have exposed one of those quirks in baseball where a half dozen key cogs were misfiring at the same time. The abilities are still there. Logic and statistical probability dictate that these cogs will start hItting their marks. With the unmistakable offensive talent of the Yankee bats it is quite likely that the next seven games will bear quite the bounty.

This is a feast-or-famine type of team. We have seen the lean times, and now we shall see how the lions feast.

/Robbie

http://www.g6tec.com Jedile

I really am all for resigning Ichiro. I think he can do something like:
10-15hrs (short porch will help), bat .275-.290/340/420 while stealing maybe 20-30 bags and giving us solid defense. 3-5WAR player maybe at 8M? I’d take that.

Andy Pettitte’s Fibula (formerly Manny’s BanWagon)

5 WAR is pretty much a pipe dream but I’d sign up for a 3 WAR season anytime on a 1 year deal.

http://www.g6tec.com Jedile

Oh yeah most definitely. This is my Ceiling for ichiro really. I expect something more modest like 8hr .270, 25 steals and 2.7 WAR.
But I am going to be optimistic and post his ceiling. :)

Mister D

There were a dozen total 5 WAR OFs (and 2 of them got a bump from IF time).

RkyMtnYank

As far as replay technology goes, I’m not sure there is much technology even needed to resolve the issues that happened there. It just needs to be expanded. An umpire up in the booth watches the replay a couple times(just like we get to), calls down to the ump on the field(all you need is a cell phone) and the correct call gets made, all done in a matter of a minute or several seconds really. No more of the umpires leaving the field shit, that’s just plain stupid. Each team/manager gets three challenges per game(just like football) with no restrictions on what is or what is not reviewable and no penalty for the call not being overturned.
The “technology” they are currently testing is rather irrelevant but I’m sure they will put all this time, money and effort into a something that sucks worse than the way it is now even.

Jose M. Vazquez

How about just showing the play in different views in the big screen where everyone can see it. That would shorten the game and prevent managers from coming out to discuss plays. The umpires could make a quick and accurate decision based on this. I know that some home teams might want to take advantage and show only the views that favor them but the umpires could request the MLB views only.

not that mike

The Yankees are a business, and having Ichiro makes them attract more paying customers.

also, by dumping Swisher it would send a message to the fans ( customers) that playoff failure is not going to be tollerated when possibl, and there are changes/consequences to poor play.

you cannot market yourselves as perenial playoff contender and WS champs when you have a RF who is the worst playoff hitter in the history of baseball, nevermind the other players on the team who continue to stare at meatball pitches regardless of the count, or continue to flail at 2-0 changeups.

changes have to come in a major way, or the Yanks could suffer as the Braves did for all those years as bridesmades with no true shot to win the WS….and while thats OK, the Yanks will not see the turnstiles spin like they are accustomed to if thats the case

stuart a

swisher is gone that is a given.. no chance he will be back, none…

Jim Is Bored(Hughes the man?!)

Swish has cost himself a ton of money this postseason.

Athenian

Signing Ichiro is not a big issue. The fear, as I keep saying, is picking up Granderson’s option, panic and signing Swisher, and the 10 yr 200 mill contract for Cano – also signed out of panic.

If any combination of the three happen, the Yanks are in trouble. Cano, while arguably one of the top 2b players, can be replaced defensively and his offense can be managed through improving other spots.

But, again, there are fundamental problems with the direction of the team that are causing the ineptness of the line up. Poor decisions from 2002-present are catching up. The Yankees need to stop the constant love affair with big names and past performance. Look at the Cardinals, A’s, even the Giants (not counting Zito and Lincecum) have basically no big names (posey was not until last year)

Jim Is Bored(Hughes the man?!)

The more I’ve thought about it, the more I’ve accepted that I’d be OK with losing Cano. I love him, but given the price he’s going to command, it might be worth it to give the job to CoJo or David Adams.

If Gardner can play CF next year, I’d be fine letting Grandy and Swisher go too. Ichiro can replace Swish, and as long as the FO is ok sliding Gardner over to Center, we can spend money on a B- LF. Maybe Angel Pagan, or Carlos Quentin(if we buy his resurgence).

Our offense will undoubtedly be worse, but I think that’s going to be the case whichever direction the Yanks go.

Little CANOlli

There’s a difference between, “our offense will undoubtedly be worse” and “our offense will be downright horrible” which is what it would be if Cano wasn’t hitting in the middle of the lineup all year long.

But, fuck it, let’s just dump all 3 and throw this out there:

Jeter
Ichiro
Teixeira
AROD
Ibanez
Martin
COJO/Adams
Dickerson
Gardner

Sounds like a fun 2013 season to me.

Jim Is Bored(Hughes the man?!)

It will be bad next year. But we’d basically already be under the 189$ million goal for 2014, assuming we don’t spend on anyone else.

I’m fine either way on Cano. If our salary goals are serious, there’s going to be pain in 2013 and 2014. It’s just a matter of what kind of pain it’s going to be.

Mister D

You ever look at Angel Pagan with absolute certainty that you have a few common pieces, most likely casual button-downs and sweaters, in your wardrobes? I’d take even odds on it.

Kosmo

i was thinking along the same lines. It´s rumored that the Giants would be open to bringing Melky back so here goes another dumb trade proposal: Cano, Granderson, Nova and Cervelli for Panda, Lincecum, Sanchez (the current backup C) and OF prospect Gary Brown.
Sign Pagan to play CF, trade for Chris Young. Resign Ichiro.
I´d also look into what Anibal Sanchez will command on the FA market.
Adams, Joseph and Mustelier are given every op to break camp with the parent club.

Robinson Tilapia (Overreacting is American)

Holy fucknose that’s a bad trade for the Yankees.

Marc Harris

The hitting ineptitude has been written and re-written. The issue is why?
You need only look at M. Cabrerra. How many home runs does he have in the two games? When he has an opportunity to hit the ball the other way, he does it; the Yankees are all trying to pull the ball (except Jete and Ichiro). That is what Girardi is referring to when he ways our hitters are not adjusting. Hit the ball the other way, and win a game. It’s as simple as that.

Athenian

but but but but… how do I attain glory for hitting a dinky single the other way. THAT won’t get me a mega contract, won’t be much in the eyes of fans, and all it will do is score a single run.

There is no fanfare, no excitement, and I won’t have my face on the Times Square Jumbotron.

Sincerely,

Nick Swisher
Alex Rodriguez
Curtis Granderson
Robinson Cano

emcee

Reggie Jackson vs Bob Welch, 1978 Gm. 2

Kosmo

Reggie vs. Welch, 1978 Gm 6, 7th inning

jim p

The Yankee Analyst has a great piece, on the Yankee left-handers practicing since spring training on pulling the ball. And then the graphics of how the Failing Four are being pitched.

Agree 100%. Even hitting the ball back through the middle has worked for decades.

Darren

Seriously, can we fucking forget about next year and 2014 and the goddamned BULLSHIT FAKE budget and start thinking and talking about what we need to do to win tomorrow so the fucking worm can turn Paulie??

I mean, this is one of the worst hitting playoff teams of all time and we WON THE AL EAST and we WON THE ALDS. Ok, so nor we’re behind 0-2, but out pitching has been AWESOME and we can fukcing do this. Stop your bitching and moaning and GROW a pair (like the hernia commentor from the other thread).

My only question is, is there anything Girardi, KLong or anyone else can do to inspire a different approach? Any wacko with the internet can say “play Gardener, sit Swisher,” etc. But for the guys that DO play, what can be done to try and get them out of this black hole? Anything? Any legit ideas of how to relax or not swing for the fences?

TomH

My only question is, is there anything Girardi, KLong or anyone else can do to inspire a different approach? Any wacko with the internet can say “play Gardener, sit Swisher,” etc. But for the guys that DO play, what can be done to try and get them out of this black hole? Anything? Any legit ideas of how to relax or not swing for the fences?

Ideas for the remainder of this series? Prayer.

Longer term: put a plexiglass extension out there in the right-field cheap-zone, or some other arrangement. As it now stands, the damn space is like a magnet for any left-handed hitter.

Additionally, hire a hitting coach who can teach people to go the other way, make contact, point out that it’s better to choke up on the bat than to choke up in the game.

Mister D

Ideas for the remainder of this series?

Fines for hitting the ball to your pull side of the mound. At first, the players will think its a gimmick that’s beneath them, but as the hits start falling and the runs start scoring, they’ll embrace it. They’ll win the World Series with Jeter catching Rodriguez’s game winning homer in the right field stands. He’ll then being carried onto the field by his teammates and present the ball to Alex as they make up and become BFFs again. A movie, called The Opposite Way to Succeed starring Paul Rudd as Robinson Cano, will become the highest grossing sports film ever and there will never be another argument at RAB again and all of our favorite players will be very happy. The end.

(Or just hope Verlander doesn’t throw a no-hitter so that asshole friend of yours from Detroit can’t forever hold it over your head.)

Robinson Tilapia (Overreacting is American)

Does that mean Will Ferrell as Melky? A man can dream.

Darren

I laughed, I cried.

Frank

I hope Dickerson gets a crack at starting in RF next season. He’s cheap, fast and can play defense. Give him a chance to se if he can hit.

Robinson Tilapia (Overreacting is American)

I get the sentiment. He’s also either close to 30, or 30 years old. There’s been plenty of chance amongst those that know best to see what he can do.

I wouldn’t mind keeping him on the roster next year, though.

jjyank

Love him as a 4th OF, but I’d be kinda nervous going into the seasons with him starting on opening day.

Klemy

I want to feel like they can come back in this series, but I just can’t. I truly hope they prove me doubts wrong.

This offense is so painful to watch right now. No one is hitting anything hard. It’s hard to imagine going from no contact to finding holes and driving balls. Swinging at breaking balls in the dirt, not catching up to the fastballs they do get, I just can’t see how that ends up turning around in the next 2 games to push the series to 6 or 7 games. If any team can, I guess they are a decent bet though.

I feel badly for Arod to be honest. He’s taking an unfair portion of the criticism, when guys like Cano, Granderson, and Swisher are flailing away as badly as he is. He has certainly been bad and lost at the plate, but they all have and the national media seems to ignore that at times.

John

mike this question is for you … have you noticed that ever since 2001 when the front office decided to change their approach toward players and started to sign big power guys the yankees havent done as well in the playoffs. heck if arod didnt go on fire in 09 we would still be talking as 2000 being our last world series. it appears like all these guys go up there trying to hit that 5 run hr .. i just dont get it .. why not hit depending on the situation … in game 1 with a runner on 2nd martin is swinging out of his shoes with a 2-0 count instead of trying to go the other way and get a base hit … before 02 the yankees didnt have one guy come close to hitting 40 hrs but all their guys were contact guys … and that is what you need in the playoffs where there is no mediocre pitching … what is your opinion?

John

one last thing didnt the yankee hitters take notice .. yesterday miguel cabrera the triple crown winner took what kuroda gave him .. he knew the situation and all he did was go the other way .. if he wouldve tried to play hero and hit a 5 run hr .. he would have easily chopped that ball to short and he would have been easily out

Thanks! I figured it was an internet-created meme or something. This looks legit.

rogue

The Yankees will re-sign Ichiro. I’ll guarantee it. The Yankees want to be a permanent fixture in the Japanese market. Ichiro is 2-3 years away from becoming the first Japanese ballplayer to reach 3,000 hits. That’s on top of having Matsui becoming the first Japanese player to win a WS MVP. Besides, guys with Ichiro’s body type can play into their 40s.

DJ4K&Monterowasdinero

Agree. he is a fitness freak and will age well. At 38 he is one of our fastest down the line and hard to double on grounders. Keeps rallys alive..

Mister D

Play into their 40s, well until about 36.

Tino!_24

Where is Andruw Jones when you need him? He sure would have rounded out the line-up this past week! LOL.
I like the idea of putting Gardner in for swisher (gardner in left, Ichiro is right) for a potential spark plus the outfield improves defensively and the games have been low scoring. I would leave the grandyman in because the Yankees lived by the homerun this year and I think it’s good to have a balance of small ball and power and I think grandy is gonna snap back in just like Arod has started to – note the liners Arod has hit. It’s swisher’s turn to ride the pines (there is no reason to not try benching him – we are running out of people to cry for a benching!).

Also try to get Nunez a look at the plate. He usually hits the ball hard. Let’s face it the Tigers have had the Yankees number in the playoffs. Remember Leyland saying the Yanks had “murderers row and cano” in 2006 – almost like it was a reverse psychologicaly then Kenny Rodgers pitched like Cy Young with pine tar or some other substance all over his pitching hand! It’s time for the Yanks to reverse the curse. Cano is just burnt out.. when Nix got hurt Cano played every inning… he will snap back in as well. I believe in opposites in baseball due to it’s nature. Gopher ball Phil gives up none. Verlander gets beat. Yankees go to CC and tie the series.